Author’s Note:
As I read through the posts of others here on Rapture Ready, I hesitated to send this piece. Others are saying pretty much what I have written here. As the ‘teacher’ in Ecclesiastes observed, “There is nothing new under the sun.” These days, while the world is almost exclusively focused on COVID and the fallout from this “pandemic,” many Christians are laser-focused on the coming Rapture and subsequent Tribulation. It stands to reason we Christian writers are going to produce some of the same material. Yet each one of us, prompted by God’s Holy Spirit, may have a unique nugget of information. Praying you, dear reader, may find such a nugget of The LORD’s information that speaks peace and God’s love to your heart and soul.
John 15:18-25
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates Me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both Me and My Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.'”
Jeremiah 30:23-24, 31:1-3
“See, the storm of the Lord will burst out in wrath, a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until He fully accomplishes the purposes of His heart. In days to come you will understand this.”
“At that time,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people. ‘This is what the LORD says: ‘The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel.’ The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.'”
This past Christmas was different from any other before it in our household. As in the past, I decorated the house (including several nativity scenes and two Christmas trees – yes, I know, some say they are a pagan thing, but I like to think they represent the tree of Calvary), wrote and sent Christmas cards, supported our favorite charities, sent gifts to … yeah … SENT gifts to our families. Because we remain unjabbed, it has become very difficult to travel.
One son lives in New Brunswick. Without a vaxx passport, we can no longer board a plane or train. The drive usually entails an overnight stay in Quebec, in which province we unjabbed are now ‘personae non grata.’ And our other son and one of his sons (both triple-jabbed), who live in the province but about 4-1/2 hours away, had COVID over the holidays. Add to that, my husband’s dad (90) was in the throes of four + weeks of cancer treatment in a city 2-1/2 hours away.
But it wasn’t any of that which made this Christmas so different. It was my own attitude. I found, this year, I no longer felt inclined to celebrate the first advent of my LORD because I am too excited and looking forward to seeing Him soon, in person. In the air. In the Rapture. My wonderful Saviour is about to redeem me and all other believers from this sinful earth, and I … can’t… wait!
So, do I have an exclusive insight into when this will happen? No. Not at all, and I refuse to even think about specific dates. You do realize that at any given moment on planet Earth two days are happening: For example, if it is 5:15 p.m. EST on the 8th of January in Southern Ontario, Canada, in NSW Australia, it is 9:20 a.m. January 9th. So, to try to set a specific date, for that reason alone, is lunacy. But Jesus also told us that no one knows the day or the hour, not even the angels, not even He knew when He still walked the earth. Only the Father in Heaven knows, so I’m not speculating, for His timing will be perfect (Matthew 24:36). However, it does seem that people are getting a sense from all that is happening politically and socially in the world that it won’t be long now.
Plus, as Calvary Chapel Pastor J.D. Farag says, “If the Rapture doesn’t happen soon, our technology will soon outstrip the technology of Revelation.”
Now, I could give you a long list of all the things happening currently in the world that point to our Blessed Hope, but most of you reading this already know about them. Other Rapture Ready authors do a great job of listing world events that are currently fulfilling Bible Prophecy. If you aren’t familiar with such prophecy, please pick up your Bible and read Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13, Daniel, and Revelation. (There is much, much more, but these will get you started.)
A sample verse from Luke …
“Then He said to them: ‘Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven'” (Luke 21:11). (italics are mine)
So, right now, China is rattling a large saber at Taiwan and warning the U.S. to “butt out.” Russia is amassing an army on its border with Ukraine once again, and Putin is telling the U.N. to “butt out.” Riots and protests are happening in almost every nation on earth right now, and governments are telling law officers to “butt out.” Earthquakes are happening in places they never do. A pestilence is running rampant across the world, you could say, ‘in various places.’ Jesus pointed to all these things as being signs of the time of the end and that they would increase in intensity and frequency as His Second Appearing approached (Matthew 24).
Also, Jesus said the world would hate us Christians because it had hated Him (John 15:18-25).
This past week, our own Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, told the Canadian press that the “unvaxxed are racist and misogynistic. Trudeau also called unvaccinated Canadians science deniers. He said, “We are going to end this pandemic by proceeding with the vaccination. We all know people who are deciding whether or not they are willing to get vaccinated, and we will do our very best to try to convince them. However, there is still a part of the population (that) is fiercely against it. They don’t believe in science/progress and are very often misogynistic and racist. It’s a very small group of people, but that doesn’t shy away from the fact that they take up some space.”
In case you missed it, these people Trudeau is alluding to are Bible-believing Christians. (The underlined phrase gave me chills!)
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, told the French press that “the unvaxxed ought to be treated as non-citizens and should be subject to emmerdement.” That’s an impolite French word that means something worse than being spit upon.
Don’t you think his first name is interesting? Also his last name.
Leaders of what has become “the former” Free World all seem to be acting from the same agenda and are marginalizing Christians, vaxxed or no, at an unprecedented rate. But it is we who are unjabbed who are being set up to take the blame for all the ills of the world. While this kind of thing has happened in separate countries in the past (Germany, Russia, China, Chile, etc.), this is the first time in human history that it is happening all over the world, all at once.
It has now become ultra-apparent that some very powerful people are using the pandemic to further a One-World-Order agenda. But what they don’t seem to realize is that they are playing right into God’s plan for the End Times, the Rapture, and the Tribulation. What they also don’t seem to realize is that God’s plan also includes a colossal Eden-like restoration of Earth, and a one-thousand-year reign of Jesus Messiah on the planet, after all the horror is brought to an end by a Word from the mouth of King Jesus.
Because this is all laid out in God’s Holy Word, we can rely on His promises to keep us from the Wrath to come. Now is no time to be afraid. So often, our Saviour spoke these words: “Stand strong in your faith.”
“Do not fear.” “Don’t be afraid.” What is coming on the world will not last, and for those of us who believe in Jesus, His birth, life, death on the cross, burial, and resurrection, and who endure patiently in our faith, we will miss the great horrors outlined in Revelation chapters six to 18. (See 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, and Revelation 3:10.)
The Jeremiah verses tell us that God’s wrath can be horrendous, but He doesn’t visit it on the earth for no reason. The sentence “In days to come you will understand this” is rather significant.
For 1900+ years, the prophecy that Israel would one day become a nation again seemed impossible. And then, in May 1948, the prophecy question “Can a nation be born in a day?” was answered when Israel was declared a sovereign nation on the 14th of May. On the 13th, there was no nation of Israel. On the 14th, there was (Isaiah 66:8).
Someone once asked me why the Bible has so many scary scenarios? Well, I think we are now in the days when we are ready to understand such things, as God promised in Jeremiah 30:24.
Today’s world is an evil place. Wickedness abounds now as it hardly ever has before. I say’ hardly ever’ because in the days before Noah’s flood, “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 12:5). This, too, was foretold for end times eloquently by Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3, where the text reads like a description of what people have become in the 21st century.
The point is, my parents and grandparents would have been absolutely horrified by what is happening and the scale of evil we are seeing every day now. The lies and corruption of national leaders is over the top. Even on so-called mainstream news sites, at any given time, you can see articles about satanism, transgender horrors visited upon children, persecution of upright people while hardened criminals are getting a pass, and so on and so on. So-called entertainment out of Hollywood would have shocked my grandmother into a heart attack.
The Bible is the story, the HISTORY, of what Creation is, what happened to the original Creation, and how it (including us) is all going to be redeemed through the sacrifice of Jesus Messiah, God’s Only Begotten Son. Our history is messy in many places. Our relationships are messy. This messiness sprung into Creation when Adam and Eve messed up by their sin of disobedience.
Yet, through all the messiness and depravity of humankind, the LORD God has given us direction toward the sure hope of eternal survival with only one provision … ONLY ONE!!! That is, that we believe in the One He sent (John 6:29).
Right now, our greatest adversary is setting up a network of fear around the world. Many have already bought into it to the extent that they are literally blinded by fear. They refuse to see the Truth because fear has taken over their hearts and minds.
Dear brothers and sisters, knowing how the LORD God loves us so much that He sent His own Son to take on our flesh to be a sacrifice for our sin … knowing that deep in your heart … tell me this: how can you fear? What is it that you are afraid of? The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, to quote former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt. Fear breeds fear. But faith breeds confidence, assurance and peace of mind. Put your faith in the One Who drives out fear with His perfect love (1 John 4:18).
From now on, the minute you begin to fear anything whatsoever, please grab your Bible and turn to the Book of 1 John, and just keep reading until your heart settles down. You might also consult Revelation 3:10, Daniel 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
It is in His Word where the LORD speaks loudest to us, and the Gospel of 1 John and the Rapture Verses speak volumes of His assurance, encouragement, and love in every word.
Dear friends, we are not unbelievers or pagans who have no hope. Rather we are the beloved of the Creator of the whole Universe. Yes, Bible Prophecy is coming to pass. Yes, it’s all real. And, yes, this time is what we Christians have been preparing for, for almost two thousand years. The night of our travail is almost over; the dawn of eternity is beginning to send forth its rays.
How marvelous, how wonderful is our Saviour’s love! Just shelter there to find your peace and security for all eternity!
Mighty God, eternal Father, please keep us closer than close to You while all around us seems to be falling down. We trust that You have us, body and soul, in Your tender care, and no matter what happens, it can only end up being the best of the best for those of us who believe in Jesus’ Salvation. In Him and through Him, we pray. Amen.
If anyone reading this devotional has not yet received Jesus as their Saviour, but God has touched your heart by His Holy Word, please email me (amadea649@gmail.com) or find a Bible-believing local church and ask the Pastor what you must do to be saved in Grace. In the meantime, please consider the ABCs of Salvation:
A – Admit
Admit what you have done wrong and ask forgiveness.
Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death.”
I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
B – Believe
Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again as payment for your sins.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
C – Confess and Choose
Confess and choose to allow God to be in charge of your life.
Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
MARANATHA, Come soon, LORD Jesus. Come!